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Florida Panthers: The Most Exclusive Club in Town Is Inside a Sports Stadium
One of the hottest new members-only clubs in Cleveland isn’t on a cool street corner or in a trendy neighborhood. It’s inside Rocket Arena, the nearly 20,000-seat home of the N.B.A.’s Cavaliers.
The space was opened last month with the help of h.Wood Group, a hospitality company known for its exclusive nightlife destinations. At 3,000 square feet, it has a custom bar made from marble flown in from Italy; tables set with leather-bound menus and embroidered napkins; and custom art on the walls that pays homage to Cleveland’s history. Two mixologists pour cocktails while a D.J. spins tunes for the members, who got in after spending six figures with the Cavaliers.
“The space used to be a workshop and pump station,” said Nic Barlage, the Cavs’ chief executive. “Now it’s a high-end supper club that does not feel like you are in the bowels of an N.B.A. arena.”
Sports stadiums and arenas across the country are opening pricey — and exclusive — clubs. The spaces, some of which are invite-only and cost members upward of six figures annually, have hidden entrances; fine furnishings; selfie-friendly bathrooms; and food and beverage options far superior to what’s available on the concourse.
These clubs are not for watching sports. Many don’t even have views of the action. That’s by design: The spaces are supposed to feel hidden, fit for partying, networking and flaunting wealth, a spot for high-net-worth fans to mix business and pleasure.
“It’s really about how you can continue to enhance the value proportion of a fan’s experience,” Mr. Barlage said.
These clubs are part of efforts to monetize and activate previously unused real estate in the venues, said Katie Haas, the executive vice president of ballpark operations for the New York Mets. “It’s a journey to start really looking around this building to think how we can turn spaces into something completely new.”
For example, next Mets season, fans will be able to buy tickets for the Cadillac Club, a space along right field that holds 150 people where the seats have personal flat screen monitors. Entry to the club is through a hidden door that masquerades as an old ticket booth. It’s not members-only, but access does not come cheap: A season ticket is $25,000.
In October, Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., opened six ultra-premium speakeasy-style suites that cost over $1 million to lease for the year. (Those with a multiyear lease get a $150,000 art and décor budget to bring custom art into their space. The arena is currently working on a loan program with the Smithsonian.)
HIPP, the club at the Cleveland arena, costs members an annual fee in the five-figure range and is open only on game days. Membership is extended to those who have already spent at least $100,000 with the Cavaliers — and guests are not allowed. The price doesn’t include seats to watch the games, which have to be purchased separately, but it does get members a card that can be flashed for free concessions anywhere in the arena (in case they get sick of fancy food, they can get nachos from a concession stand).
Mr. Barlage said the space has already reached capacity, and there is a wait-list for membership.
The N.H.L. is getting in on the action, too. At Amerant Bank Arena, home of the Florida Panthers, a members-only club named the Panther Bar was inspired by Monkey Bar, one of the team owner’s favorite New York City restaurants.
The space was made by combining two suites. It has a speakeasy-style phone booth stationed outside the entrance door, hand-painted wall murals of panthers by the local artist Grant Gruenhaupt, and red leather booths with retro red and white checkered tablecloths.
The purpose is to hobnob; the space is so exclusive that Wayne Gretzky, the hockey great, shows up a few times a season. (He even signed one of the murals.)
The Crown Club, in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, home of the N.B.A.’s Nets and W.N.B.A.’s Liberty, is accessible only to courtside season-ticket holders. Members have access to 6,500 bottles of wine and food from the people behind Carbone and Torrisi.
“We know these spaces cost a certain amount of money, so you know who is there,” said JP Pennyfeather, the chief executive of Pennyfeather 360, a company that supplies the club with security, cleaning and transportation and hospitality services.
“You’re in there with the masters of industry, people who could get you to the next level or you can help them get to the next level,” he said. “It’s a way more exciting night out than just going to watch the game.”
Casa Tua, a members-only club with locations in Miami; New York City; Aspen, Colo.; and Paris, pops up in unexpected places during select sporting events. For the Miami Open tennis tournament last year, a 3,000-square-foot space underneath Hard Rock Stadium was transformed into a jungle with hundreds of leafy plants; a speaker played bird sounds.
“When you are on the tennis court you cannot speak, you have to be silent,” said Miky Grendene, who founded Casa Tua with his wife, Leticia Herrera. “But people want to socialize and meet other people and show off that they are part of the club, so they come to me for that.”
Elijah Harlow, 24, who owns a brand strategy and communications consultancy, visited Casa Tua during the Miami Open and was struck by how the club attracted people who did not watch tennis.
“They were there because they wanted to be at this hot spot and part of the social calendar,” he said. “Nobody had any idea what was happening at the tennis tournament.”
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